Improvement in seed-planters



J.- 0. WILLOUGHBY.

. Grain Drill:

' Paie'nted Jan; 26, 1858.

N. PETERS, PHOTO LITHOGRAPH UNITED STATES ATENT Price.

J. D. WILLOUGHBY, OF PLEASANT HALL, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEED-PLANTERS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. D. WILLOUGHBY, of Pleasant Hall, in the county of Franklin and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Seed-Planters; and 1 do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the annexed drawings, forming a part of this specification.

Figure l is a vertical section of the machine on line :20 x of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is plan view. Fig. 3 is a section on y 51 taken perpendicular to plane of Fig. 1.

Similar characters refer to like parts in the several figures.

The nature of my invention consists in mak ing the gearing end of the hopper movable and causing this movement to render the rotation of the axle effective in producing the elevation of the shovels (or seed-tubes) and cleaners, these two functions being performed from the front of the machine by the driver.

In the drawings, A and B are the hoppers, fastened to frame 0 at the end opposite the gearing by a bolt or otherwise, so as to be movable about said connection. The hoppers A and B are fastened together at gearing end by rod a, so that both shall be movable together. The front hopper, A, is designed for sowing wheat or grass-seeds broadcast. The hopper B is designed for drilling, the indiarubber cylinder for discharging the seed, and the wooden cylinder for discharging the guano, both seed and guano uniting in a hopper or funnel leading to the drill-tubes. The rodf extends over the hopper, from which depend arms or stirrers vibrated by the motion of the rod produced by the connection with the eccentric on the projecting extremities of one of the feed-rollers, or in any suitable manner.

Extending forward from the hopper A is a rod, g, whose end has an eye fitting over the inclined standard D on the pole. As this rod is elevated upon the standard the gearing ends of the hoppers are thrown backward, removing the teeth of wheel E from those of wheel F, which drives the discharge-rollers, thus stopping the seed-discharge. The placing the eye on the standard I) and forcing the rod downward draws the hopper forward by its inclination and produces the meshing ofthe geaiing.

Under the hopper B is a plate, h, through which passes the end of the shaft 2', so that when the hopper is thrown backward the end of the shaft i is carried rearward in the slot 7' and the hand l around pulleys m and a thus tightened, so as to turn pulley a, as indicated by the arrow, thus lifting seed-tubes or shovels G and cleaners I by the winding of the chains or cords 1) around shaft 1'.

0n the pulley n is a stud, q, which, after passing the hinged flap T, will prevent the return of the shaft 6 until the hopper is removed forward.

The shovel or tube cleaners I consist of two bars swinging from the front of the machine, and reciprocated by the connection of the rod J with an eccentric on the main axle, so as to move backward and forward on each side of the shovel or seed-tube. It will of course be understood that each shovel has a cleaner.

S are the drag-bars, the front ends of which are fastened to the frame of the seed-planter.

G is a depositing tube or shovel, hinged three inches from its top to the rear ends of the drag-bars.

S is a brace-bar, with its front end hinged between the drag-bars near their front ends.

The rear end of bar S is hinged to the top of tube G.

0 is a joint in the bar, to make it flexible and to regulate the angle of the shovel or seed-tube G, so as to make the tube run deep or shallow, and to allow the lower end of tube G to move backward when it meets an unyielding obstruction.

D is a chair fastened to the drag-bars S.

u is a hollow cylinder, of vulcanized indiarubber, resting on the chair D.

T is a screw, (see Fig. 3,) with a fork on its lower end, by which it is hinged to the bracebar S. The screw extends up through the chair and rubber.

'0 n are nuts on the screw T, one under the chair D and the other on top of the rubber a. By means of these nuts the tension of the rubber spring at is regulated, and also the position of the joint 0 in bar S, both of which are of importance in seed-planters. If the joint 0 were held in line with J and K, there would be no tendency in the joint to move downward, and thus let the tube Gr pass over an obstruction; but every fraction of an inch that O is held below a straight line with J and K gives that much leverage or downward force on the joint 0 when force is applied to the lower end of tube G. Should the bar S get bent so as to change the leverage at c, the nuts 1; '0 will enable the operator to set the joint 0 at any desired leverage without going to a smiths shop for repairs. The tension of the spring u is increased by screwing down the upper nut. The position of thejoint c is regulated by the nut under the chair, thus giving the required leverage.

Having thus fully described the construc tion and operation of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The rubber spring u, in combination with the chairs D, screw T, and nuts 1) u, to hold the joint 0 in any desired position with any desired firmness, for the purpose of making bar S a flexible and adjustable brace for graindrill tubes or shovels, which can he graduated to bear different degrees of resistance, and to hold the tube G at any desired angle to regulate the depth of the tube in the soil when the seed is being planted.

2. The combination of the rod gwith the inclined standard I) on the pole, for the purpose of cutting off the discharge of the seed and elevating the seed-tubes and cleaners, substan-' tially as described.

J. D. \VILLOUGHBY. 

